Hmayak Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the Political Scientists Union of Armenia, believes that Armenia’s political opposition forces cannot unite round an idea and nominate a joint candidate in the 2013 presidential election.

At his meeting with journalists on Wednesday, he said that Gagik Tsarukyan, Chairman of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), is the candidate “devoid of ideology.”

“An ideologue cannot be in this capacity, and Mr Tsarukyan is a suitable candidate as a philanthropist. This philanthropist may be nominated as a joint candidate when political parties’ ideologies have nothing in common,” Hovhannisyan said.

The opposition bloc Armenian National Congress (ANC) is too weak now to nominate a joint candidate.

“A joint candidate from the opposition now that the ANC is so weak, after David Shahnazaryan, Andranik Kocharyan and Aram Sargsyan left the bloc and stated that it was as illegitimate as Armenia’s authorities – because of its activities and relations. In this case, a joint candidate can be viewed as a means of protest vote,” Hovhannisyan said.

He does not rule out that ANC Chairman Levon Ter-Petrosyan is laying claims to nomination as a joint candidate.

“Speaking at a rally he stressed the need for destroying the ties between Gagik Tsarukyan and President Serzh Sargsyan. If Gagik Tsarukyan turns into a target for the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and is pressed hard, Robert Kocharyan may be nominated,” Hovhannisyan said.

He proposes analyzing the PAP leader’s previous activities.

“Let us look back at the year 2007. Did he ever refuse to join the coalition or vote for the government program? Now consider his steps, namely, going against the government program and, therefore, against the president. So who did he rely on in doing so?” Hovhannisyan asked.

Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, is a serious political figure. “So this possibility cannot be ruled out as well. Ter-Petrosyan said a lot but later went back on his words. So he may accept Robert Kocharyan as a joint candidate,” Hovhannisyan said.